Sunday, 14 January 2018

THE Government has challenged the Registrar General’s Office to strive to issue new passports within stipulated periods saying incompetence would not be tolerated.This follows a public outcry over delays in issuance of passports by RG’s Office. A normal passport which costs $53 should be released within a month while an emergency passport which costs $318 takes 24 hours to be released.The RG’s Office has however been struggling to release passports within the stipulated periods.A passport which is supposed to be released within a month is taking up to six months to be released.In an interview, the Minister of Home Affairs and Culture Dr Obert Mpofu said in line with the new work ethic, the passport office should adhere to stipulated times in releasing travel documents.“There are categories of passports which are supposed to be made known to the public and those categories have a time limit in which a passport has to be issued.The RG’s Office should therefore ensure that the passports are issued within the agreed period because people pay for these services,” said Dr Mpofu.He said the Government will not accept ineptitude from civil servants.

“We’ve met officials from the RG’s Office and told them that there should be no unnecessary bureaucracy on issues that affect the public. We don’t condone that, the new administration does not condone any ineptitude on the part of public servants,” he said.Dr Mpofu said he has already directed officials from his Ministry to perform in line with Government expectations.“I’ve been addressing senior officials from the RG’s Office, immigration and the police and we have given them our clear road map on what we expect,” said Dr Mpofu.